Storage containers including negative thermal expansion coefficient materials

ABSTRACT

A container may have a first component configured to contain one or more articles, and a second component configured to confine the one or more articles contained in the first component where at least one of the first component and the second component have at least a portion made from a material having a negative thermal expansion coefficient.

BACKGROUND

Many consumer goods including food and beverages are packaged for protection and preservation during storage and transport. In general, a tighter sealing container may provide better preservation. However, a tightly sealed container may be more difficult to break open (or release) to access the contents of the container. As such, there is a need for containers that may seal tightly, yet may be released with relative ease.

SUMMARY

In an embodiment, a container may have a first component configured to contain one or more articles and a second component configured to confine the one or more articles contained in the first component where at least one of the first and the second component have at least a portion made from a material having a negative thermal expansion coefficient.

In an embodiment, a method of containing one or more articles may include placing the one or more articles in a first component of a container having the first component configured to contain one or more articles and a second component configured to confine the one or more articles contained in the first component where at least one of the first and the second component have at least a portion made from a material having a negative thermal expansion coefficient, and confining the one or more articles in the first component using the second component.

In an embodiment, a method of sealing a container may include affixing a second component configured to confine one or more articles contained in a first component to the first component configured to contain the one or more articles, where at least one of the first component and the second component have at least a portion made from a material having a negative thermal expansion coefficient, and reducing the temperature of the container such that the component made from a material having a negative thermal expansion coefficient expands to create the seal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

FIG. 1 depicts an illustrative container lid having a negative thermal expansion coefficient material according to an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This disclosure is not limited to the particular systems, devices and methods described, as these may vary. The terminology used in the description is for the purpose of describing the particular versions or embodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope.

As used in this document, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meanings as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. Nothing in this disclosure is to be construed as an admission that the embodiments described in this disclosure are not entitled to antedate such disclosure by virtue of prior invention. As used in this document, the term “comprising” means “including, but not limited to.”

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to containers. The containers can have any configuration. FIG. 1 depicts an illustrative container lid having a negative thermal expansion coefficient material according to an embodiment. In some embodiments, a container may include a first component 101 configured to contain one or more articles 105, and a second component 102 configured to confine the one or more articles 105 in the first component 101, where at least one of the first component 101 and the second component 102 have at least a portion 110 made from a material having a negative thermal expansion coefficient. As used herein, the term “thermal expansion coefficient” refers to a numerical measure of the fractional change in size of a material per unit change in temperature at a constant pressure. A material having a negative thermal expansion coefficient expands when cooled and contracts when heated. In some cases, a material may exhibit a negative thermal expansion coefficient over a certain range of temperatures and may exhibit a positive thermal expansion coefficient (material expands on heating and contracts on cooling) at other temperatures.

The container may have any shape, and may be used to confine any articles. In some embodiments, the articles may be food or beverages such as, for example, salt, sugar, milk or dairy products, liquid or whole eggs, fish, meats, fruits, vegetables, soups, pre-cooked meals or snacks, ready-to-cook meals or snacks, ready-to-eat meals or snacks, chips, pickles, condiments, dips, spices, grains, lentils, nuts, flour, bread, coffee beans, tea leaves, coffee, tea, cola, alcoholic beverages, desserts, or the like. In some embodiments, the articles may be materials that may have to be stored in inert conditions such as, for example, medicine, hazardous chemicals, detergents, dyes, inks, air reactive materials, hygroscopic materials, sublimating materials, or the like. In some embodiments, the articles may be such that it is desirable to store them in inert conditions to preserve their value such as, for example, aromatic materials, herbs, spices, essential oils, incense, fragrances, perfumes, air fresheners, or the like.

Any material having a negative thermal expansion coefficient may be used for the at least a portion 110 of at least the first component 101 and the second component 102. In certain embodiments, the material having a negative thermal expansion coefficient may be, for example, cubic zirconium tungstate, zirconium vanadate, cubic scandium trifluoride, poly(acrylamide), siliceous faujasite, poly(diacetylene), lead titanate, Kevlar, silica-titania, any combination thereof, and the like.

In general, storage temperatures for food and/or beverages are typically about −20° C. to about 40° C. In some instances, temperatures up to about 120° C. may be used temporarily during processing and/or use of food and/or beverages. It may, therefore, be desirable, in some embodiments, for the material having a negative thermal expansion coefficient to have a negative thermal expansion coefficient at least temperatures of about −20° C. to about 120° C. (including the end points). Examples of temperature ranges for the negative thermal expansion coefficient include, but are not limited to, about −20° C. to about 0° C., about −20° C. to about 20° C., about −20° C. to about 40° C., about −20° C. to about 60° C., about −20° C. to about 80° C., about −20° C. to about 100° C., about −20° C. to about 120° C., about 0° C. to about 20° C., about 0° C. to about 40° C., about 0° C. to about 60° C., about 0° C. to about 80° C., about 0° C. to about 100° C., about 0° C. to about 120° C., about 20° C. to about 40° C., about 20° C. to about 60° C., about 20° C. to about 80° C., about 20° C. to about 100° C., about 20° C. to about 120° C., or any values or ranges between any two of these ranges (including the end points).

Within the temperature range where a material has a negative thermal expansion coefficient, the material expands when cooled and contracts when heated. Thus, a container may be designed such that at least a portion 110 of the first component 101 or the second component 102 may be made from a material having a negative thermal expansion coefficient. In some embodiments, the entire first component 101 may be made from a material having a negative thermal expansion coefficient. Likewise, in certain embodiments, the entire second component 102 may be made from a material having a negative thermal expansion coefficient. In particular embodiments, one of the first component 101 and the second component 102 may have, for example, a gasket (or a similar structure such as an o-ring, or an inner lining). In some embodiments, the portion 110 made from a material having a negative thermal expansion coefficient may be a gasket. In such embodiments, the gasket expands 110A when the temperature is decreased so as to form a tight seal between the first and the second components, and contracts 110B when the temperature is increased so as to easily release the second component from the first component.

In certain instances, the second component 102 may be equivalent to, for example, a lid, a stopper, a cork, a bottle cap, a screw cap, a crown cap, a plug seal, any combination thereof, or the like. In some embodiments, the second component 102 may be configured to be affixed to the first component by, for example, screwing on to the first component, snap-fitting on to the first component, friction fitting on to the first component, plugging into the first component, any combination thereof, or the like.

In some embodiments, at least a portion of the second component 102 may be overlapping with at least a portion of the first component 101. In certain embodiments, the overlapping portion of the first component 101 is made from the material having a negative thermal expansion coefficient. In other embodiments, the overlapping portion of the second component 102 is made from the material having a negative thermal expansion coefficient, and in yet other embodiments, the overlapping portions of the first component 101 and the second component 102 are made from a material having a negative thermal expansion coefficient. In particular embodiments, the overlapping portion of the first component 101 is made from a material having a negative thermal expansion coefficient and the overlapping portion of the second component 102 is made from a material having a negative thermal expansion coefficient that is different from the material having a negative thermal expansion coefficient used for in the first component 101.

In some aspects, a method of containing one or more articles is described. In some embodiments, the method may include placing the one or more articles in a first component of a container having the first component configured to contain one or more articles, and a second component configured to confine the one or more articles contained in the first component, where at least one of the first component and the second component have at least a portion made a material having a negative thermal expansion coefficient, and confining the one or more articles in the first component using the second component.

The method may be used for containing any article. In some embodiments, the article may be, for example, a food or a beverage. In certain embodiments, the article may be, for example, materials that may have to be stored in inert conditions for safety or for preserving their value. Examples of articles that may be stored using the method include, but are not limited to, salt, sugar, milk or dairy products, liquid or whole eggs, fish, meats, fruits, vegetables, soups, pre-cooked meals or snacks, ready-to-cook meals or snacks, ready-to-eat meals or snacks, chips, pickles, condiments, dips, spices, grains, lentils, nuts, flour, bread, coffee beans, tea leaves, coffee, tea, cola, alcoholic beverages, desserts, or the like, medicine, hazardous chemicals, detergents, dyes, inks, air reactive materials, hygroscopic materials, sublimating materials, or the like, aromatic materials, herbs, spices, essential oils, incense, fragrances, perfumes, air fresheners, or the like.

In particular embodiments, the method may further include affixing the second component to the first component by screwing on to the first component, snap-fitting on to the first component, friction fitting on to the first component, plugging into the first component, any combination thereof, or the like.

In some aspects, a method of sealing a container is described. In some embodiments, the method may include affixing a second component configured to confine one or more articles contained in a first component to the first component configured to contain one or more articles, where at least one of the first component and the second component have at least a portion made from a material having a negative thermal expansion coefficient, and reducing a temperature of the container such that the component made from a material having a negative thermal expansion coefficient expands to create the seal.

The method may be used for sealing any articles. For example, in some embodiments, the method may be used to seal articles such as food, beverages, medicine, hazardous chemicals, air-reactive materials, sublimating materials, hygroscopic materials, aromatics, or any combination thereof.

In various embodiments, any portion of the first or the second component may be made from a material having a negative thermal expansion coefficient. In some embodiments, either or both of the first component and the second component may have, for example, a gasket, or a similar structure such as an o-ring, or an inner lining, that is made from a material having a negative thermal expansion coefficient.

The second component can be affixed to the first component by any method. In certain embodiments, affixing the second component to the first component may include, for example, screwing on to the first component, snap-fitting on to the first component, friction fitting on to the first component, plugging into the first component, any combination thereof, or the like.

The temperature at which the articles are stored will also depend on the particular articles being contained. For example, food and/or beverages may be stored at temperature of about −20° C., to about 4° C. In embodiments wherein food and/or beverages are contained in the container, reducing the temperature of the container may include reducing the temperature to about −20° C., about −18° C., about −16° C., about −14° C., about −12° C., about −10° C., about −8° C., about −6° C., about −4° C., about −2° C., about 0° C., about 2° C., about 4° C., about 6° C., about 8° C., about 10° C., or any value between any two of these values. One of skill in the art will appreciate that the temperature range in which the effective sealing may be achieved will depend on the specific material having a negative thermal expansion coefficient used in various embodiments. In certain embodiments, it may be desirable to process the articles at a higher temperature. For example, milk may be processed at about 100° C. while pasteurizing, or some food items may be processed at temperatures of about 120° C. A skilled artisan will envision other instances of processing of articles at higher temperatures. In such embodiments, reducing the temperature of the container may include cooling the temperature of the container by about 5° C., about 10° C., about 15° C., about 20° C., about 25° C., about 30° C., about 35° C., about 40° C., about 45° C., about 50° C., about 55° C., about 60° C., about 65° C., about 70° C., about 75° C., about 80° C., about 85° C., about 90° C., about 95° C., about 100° C., about 105° C., about 110° C., about 115° C., about 120° C., about 125° C., about 130° C., about 135° C., about 140° C., or any value between any two of these values.

EXAMPLES Example 1 Gasket Having Negative Thermal Expansion Coefficient

Zirconium tungstate (ZrW₂O₈) powders are surface derivatized with (3-aminopropyl) siloxy linker molecules. The surface derivatized zirconium tungstate powder is dispersed in 3,3′,4,4′-benzophenone tetracarboxylic dianhydride-4,4′-oxydianiline (BTDA-ODA) polyamic acid resins to form a thick paste. The coefficient of thermal expansion can be controlled by varying the ZrW₂O₈ content in the composite.

A gasket is formed by injection molding the thick paste, or thermally curing the paste after inserting into a mold.

Example 2 Container Lid Having a Negative Thermal Expansion Coefficient

The thick paste of Example 1 is injection molded in the shape of a screw-on or a snap-fit lid to form a lid having a negative thermal expansion coefficient.

Example 3 Jar with a Screw-on Lid Having a Negative Thermal Expansion Coefficient

A gasket of Example 1 is lined (or attached using an adhesive) along the inner wall of a screw-on lid for a glass or plastic jar. Alternatively, the thick paste of Example 1 is applied on the inner side wall of the lid in shape of a ring prior to thermally curing the lid to form a sealable lid.

The gasket or the ring is sized such that at room temperature, the lid can be easily screwed on to the jar. Alternatively, the lid of Example 2 is used to close for the jar. When the jar is cooled down to about 4° C. or lower, the gasket (or the ring, or the lid) expands and creates a tight seal.

Example 4 Method for Preserving Condiments

Condiments such as, pickles, relish, and so forth are stored in the container of Example 3. When refrigerated, gasket expands and the condiments are tightly sealed in the container. When the container is brought up to room temperature, the gasket contracts allowing the lid to be easily screwed off for accessing the condiments contained in the jar.

Example 5 Method for Storing Medicine

Medicines that are required be stored at low temperatures (at about 4° C. or lower) are stored in the container of Example 3. When refrigerated, the gasket expands and the medicines are tightly sealed in the container. When the container is brought up to room temperature, the gasket contracts allowing the lid to be easily screwed off for accessing the medicines contained in the jar.

Example 6 Method for Sealing a Jar Containing Hot-Processed Food

A gasket of Example 1 is lined along the outer wall of a glass jar. A lid is snap-fitted on the jar immediately following introduction of a hot food item (e.g. milk) in the jar. As the jar cools, the gasket expands to seal the jar. When the jar is to be opened, the lid is warmed (e.g. with hot water) to shrink the gasket so as to break the seal.

In the above detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. In the drawings, similar symbols typically identify similar components, unless context dictates otherwise. The illustrative embodiments described in the detailed description, drawings, and claims are not meant to be limiting. Other embodiments may be used, and other changes may be made, without departing from the spirit or scope of the subject matter presented herein. It will be readily understood that the aspects of the present disclosure, as generally described herein, and illustrated in the Figures, can be arranged, substituted, combined, separated, and designed in a wide variety of different configurations, all of which are explicitly contemplated herein.

The present disclosure is not to be limited in terms of the particular embodiments described in this application, which are intended as illustrations of various aspects. Many modifications and variations can be made without departing from its spirit and scope, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Functionally equivalent methods and apparatuses within the scope of the disclosure, in addition to those enumerated herein, will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing descriptions. Such modifications and variations are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims. The present disclosure is to be limited only by the terms of the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. It is to be understood that this disclosure is not limited to particular methods, reagents, compounds, compositions or biological systems, which can, of course, vary. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting.

With respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as is appropriate to the context and/or application. The various singular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sake of clarity.

It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to embodiments containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, and C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, and C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). In those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be understood to include the possibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.”

In addition, where features or aspects of the disclosure are described in terms of Markush groups, those skilled in the art will recognize that the disclosure is also thereby described in terms of any individual member or subgroup of members of the Markush group.

As will be understood by one skilled in the art, for any and all purposes, such as in terms of providing a written description, all ranges disclosed herein also encompass any and all possible subranges and combinations of subranges thereof. Any listed range can be easily recognized as sufficiently describing and enabling the same range being broken down into at least equal halves, thirds, quarters, fifths, tenths, etc. As a non-limiting example, each range discussed herein can be readily broken down into a lower third, middle third and upper third, etc. As will also be understood by one skilled in the art all language such as “up to,” “at least,” and the like include the number recited and refer to ranges which can be subsequently broken down into subranges as discussed above. Finally, as will be understood by one skilled in the art, a range includes each individual member. Thus, for example, a group having 1-3 cells refers to groups having 1, 2, or 3 cells. Similarly, a group having 1-5 cells refers to groups having 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 cells, and so forth.

Various of the above-disclosed and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be combined into many other different systems or applications. Various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations or improvements therein may be subsequently made by those skilled in the art, each of which is also intended to be encompassed by the disclosed embodiments. 

1. A container comprising: a first component configured to contain one or more articles; and a second component configured to confine the one or more articles contained in the first component; wherein at least one of the first component and the second component have at least a portion made from a material having a negative thermal expansion coefficient.
 2. The container of claim 1, wherein the first component is configured to contain food, beverages, medicine, hazardous chemicals, air-reactive materials, sublimating materials, hygroscopic materials, aromatics, or any combination thereof.
 3. The container of claim 1, wherein the material having a negative thermal expansion coefficient is one or more of cubic zirconium tungstate, zirconium vanadate, cubic scandium trifluoride, poly(acrylamide), siliceous faujasite, poly(diacetylene), lead titanate, Kevlar, or silica-titania.
 4. The container of claim 1, wherein the material having a negative thermal expansion coefficient has a negative thermal expansion coefficient from a temperature of about −20° C. to about 120° C.
 5. The container of claim 1, wherein one of the first component and the second component comprises a gasket.
 6. The container of claim 5, wherein the gasket is made from the material having a negative thermal expansion coefficient.
 7. The container of claim 1, wherein the second component is configured to be affixed to the first component by screwing on to the first component, snap-fitting on to the first component, friction fitting on to the first component, or plugging into the first component.
 8. The container of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the second component overlaps with at least a portion of the first component.
 9. The container of claim 8, wherein the overlapping portion of the first component, the second component, or both the first component and the second component is made from the material having a negative thermal expansion coefficient.
 10. The container of claim 8, wherein the overlapping portion of the first component is made from a first material having negative thermal expansion coefficient and the overlapping portion of the second component is made from a second material having negative thermal expansion coefficient that is different from the first material having negative thermal expansion coefficient.
 11. A method of containing one or more articles, the method comprising: confining the one or more articles in the first component using the second component. placing the one or more articles in a first component of a container comprising the first component configured to contain one or more articles, and a second component configured to confine the one or more articles contained in the first component, wherein at least one of the first component and the second component have at least a portion made from a material having a negative thermal expansion coefficient; and
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the article is food, beverages, medicine, hazardous chemicals, air-reactive materials, sublimating materials, hygroscopic materials, aromatics, or any combination thereof.
 13. The method of claim 11, further comprising affixing the second component to the first component by screwing on to the first component, snap-fitting on to the first component, friction fitting on to the first component, or plugging into the first component.
 14. A method of sealing a container, the method comprising: affixing a second component configured to confine one or more articles contained in a first component to the first component configured to contain the one or more articles, wherein at least one of the first component and the second component have at least a portion made from a material having a negative thermal expansion coefficient; and reducing a temperature of the container, such that the component made from a material having a negative thermal expansion coefficient expands to create the seal.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein one of the first component and the second component comprises a gasket.
 16. The method of claim 14, wherein affixing the second component to the first component comprises screwing the second component on to the first component, snap-fitting the second component on to the first component, or plugging the second component into the first component.
 17. The method of claim 14, wherein reducing the temperature of the container comprises cooling the container to a temperature of about 10° C. to about −20° C.
 18. The method of claim 14, wherein reducing the temperature of the container comprises cooling the container by about 5° C. to about 140° C.
 19. The method of claim 14, wherein the container is configured to contain food, beverages, medicine, hazardous chemicals, air-reactive materials, sublimating materials, hygroscopic materials, aromatics, or any combination thereof. 